Redd Foxx suffered a fatal heart attack during filming of an episode for this series. Due to a running gag from his earlier series Sanford and Son (1972) (where he would often clutch his chest and fake having a heart attack whenever things did not go his way), no one on the set took his legitimate complaints of chest pains seriously until it was too late to save his life.
Eddie Murphy was inspired to create the show after watching the vulgar yet playful arguments between Redd Foxx and Della Reese on the set of Harlem Nights (1989).
In one episode, while Al (Redd Fox) is waiting for an Atlanta Braves baseball game to air, "The Streetbeater" (better known as the theme song to Sanford and Son (1972)) can be heard playing on the television. Al then says, "I love this show. I love how he [Fred Sanford] says, "You big dummy!" The joke was a nod to Foxx's portrayal of Fred G. Sanford on the popular sitcom Sanford and Son.
According to Della Reese's autobiography, there was constant tension between Redd Foxx and the one of the producers. Reese feels this was due to racism on the producers' part. According to Reese, Foxx suffered his fatal heart attack immediately after an argument with the producer. Reese stated that the producer showed no sorrow or respect when Foxx was pronounced dead. An episode was shot which was a tribute to Foxx and his character but it was scrapped because the producers deemed it too sad.
Reportedly, the reason this sitcom came about was so Redd Foxx could pay off his back taxes, which were astronomical.